Cornell blanks winless sprint football in tough defensive battle

The sprint football team just cannot catch a break.

For the second week in a row Princeton (0-4 overall, 0-2 Collegiate Sprint Football League) was unable to find the end zone, despite edging Cornell (2-2, 1-1) in three major offensive categories.

"To say that the outcome of this game was disappointing would be an understatement," sophomore wide receiver Adam Farren said. "We thought we would win, we were the better team, and we deserved to win. It is a very, very tough loss to swallow. The offense just couldn't get into the end zone. The defense played phenomenally well, and at times the offense could move the ball, but we were unable to get any real scoring opportunities."

The Tigers out gained the Big Red 88 yards to 83 on the ground and 74 yards to 63 through the air, while registering two more first downs than Cornell.

But in the end the only stat that really mattered was the 10-0 score line.

In a game dominated by defense, Princeton could not match a twenty-six yard field goal by Big Red kicker Chris Garnic and a four-yard touchdown run by tailback Dean Coccaro.

Friday night's game was a defensive coordinator's dream, as the only points scored in the first half came off of Garnic's field goal.

The first half looked as though it was destined to end with both teams deadlocked at zero, when Garnic failed to hit from 33 yards out. Unfortunately, a Tiger penalty on the play gave Cornell's kicker another shot from twenty-five yards and he made good on the second attempt, giving the Big Red a 3-0 lead.

As the second half began it was clear that neither team could afford to make any mistakes on offense, given the outstanding level of defense displayed by both squads.

Regrettably, Princeton's of-fense stumbled right out of the gate, fumbling on the first play from scrimmage.

This was the beginning of the end for the Tigers, as the Big Red's offense took control of the ball at the Princeton twenty-yard line. It took four plays for Cornell to find the end zone, when Coccaro rumbled in for the score.

In a span of only two minutes, the Big Red delivered the game's knockout blow with methodical efficiency. From there Cornell's defense would take over, stymieing the Tiger offense for the remainder of the second half.

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Princeton had some chances in the third and fourth quarters, as a result of poor execution on the part of the Big Red. Cornell committed three turnovers in the second half, but the Tigers' sputtering offense could not take advantage of these opportunities.

"In the first game against them this season, at their field, we moved the ball on them, but turnovers killed a bunch of scoring chances," Farren said. "In this game, something was different, as we weren't even in a position to score at all. We didn't create anything, make any big plays, or put any first downs together. It was like the offense took a step backward in this game."

Princeton was not helped by the fact that the Big Red's defense got stronger as the game progressed, seemingly one step ahead of the Tigers at just about every turn.

As good as Princeton's defense was on Friday, its counterpart from Cornell proved slightly better.

In spite of being shutout by the Big Red, the Tiger's had some bright spots offensively. Freshman running back Olawale Oladehin averaged 4.7 yards per carry on 11 attempts, while senior running back Rikki Racela averaged 4.3 en route to picking up 39 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Dennis Bakke was intercepted once on Friday, completing seven passes to four different receivers. Farren was Bakke's favorite target, hauling in three passes for twenty-four yards. Freshman wide receiver Cleland Welton added 21 yards with two catches.

While Princeton has been moving the chains on offense in recent weeks, the Tigers have scored just four touchdowns in as many games. It will be tough for Princeton to snap out of its offensive funk next week as the Tigers host Navy.

The Midshipmen have surrendered a stingy 23 points in four games this season, holding all four of their opponents to single digits in scoring. Navy beat Cornell 45-7 last weekend to remain undefeated. Friday's clash with the Midshipmen will be the Tigers' final home game of the season.